2007年3月19日 日本考虑购买欧洲战斗机

日本防卫省(Defence Minister)正考虑采用欧洲战斗机(Eurofighter)作为其下一代战斗机。对于这个迄今仅从美国购买战斗机的国家而言，此举可能具有重大意义。美国是日本最亲密的军事盟国。

Japan's defence ministry is considering adopting the Eurofighter as its next- generation fighter jet, a potentially momentous move for a country that has until now only purchased fighters from the US, its closest military ally.

熟悉谈判情况的人士表示，日本防卫省可能将在未来6个月内做出决定，采购金额可能高达数百亿美元。目前，日本政府打算更换250架至300架日趋老化的战斗机。日本防卫省一位发言人表示："我们正在考虑欧洲战斗机，以及其它战斗机型。我们正在研究全部现有战斗机资料，不仅仅是美国战斗机资料。"

A decision could be made within the next six months, people familiar with the negotiations said, and the procurement deal could run to tens of billions of dollars as Tokyo is looking to replace 250-300 ageing aeroplanes. "We are looking at the Eurofighter, along with other fighters," said a defence ministry spokesman. "We are looking at all available data, not just American data."